UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said: “Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance”.
The Malta Chamber recognises the importance of the environment as a key strategic resource and this it has done consistently by way of policies that have been proposed and developed in favour of sustainable development.
The quality of the environment has a direct bearing on the health, well-being and efficiency of the working population as well as on the goods or services they produce or provide. It is also recognised that sustainable development is a prime factor to the country’s success in attracting foreign direct investment and in maintaining the strength of the local tourism industry.
In this regard, the publication of the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED) was considered overdue and it is, therefore, a welcome step in the right direction given that the Structure Plan in force dates back to 1992. The country’s socio-economic requirements and environmental expectations have changed significantly over more than two decades.
In a document that was published last year – ‘An economic vision for Malta 2014-2020’ – the Malta Chamber made a clear commitment towards “unleashing Malta’s green credentials”, stating that “decisions made today must take into account the welfare of future generations”.
Moreover, the Malta Chamber’s ‘economic vision’ document makes direct reference to land use policy and recommends that “the undertaking of an urban regeneration programme should become Malta’s strategic focus towards which the building and construction sector should be directed, channelling investment in regeneration as against the continued and unnecessary development of green field areas”.
In line with its stand, the Malta Chamber has been consistent in its policy on land use planning and has gone on record several times for over a decade in stating that the regeneration of dilapidated, underutilised or poor quality urban zones and the regeneration of existing building stock must take precedence over the continued use of undeveloped land or areas lying outside development zones (ODZ).
The Malta Chamber remains consistent with this position and, indeed, with its stand in favour of a zero-tolerance policy for ODZ in terms of projects that are compatible with inside-scheme zones. This is considered an environmental safeguard intended to avoid unnecessary spillover of projects into ODZs. Every effort should be made to locate such potential projects within already established development zones.
Accountability and transparency should remain fundamental necessities
The Malta Chamber does not favour any rigid or prescriptive policies that would outright prohibit any development on ODZ for a pre-determined period in the future.
Rather, it would recommend that, in considering sites for potential investment projects, the authorities would first and foremost seek to exhaust all possibilities in locating such proposals in areas/buildings that have fallen out of use and that are in need of regeneration or redevelopment.
This philosophy was undertaken in the retrofitting of palazzi to serve as offices or boutique hotels. It is the Malta Chamber’s view that regeneration projects and the adoption of retrofit technologies is considered to be a sustainable approach that benefits the investor, society and the environment within an internal circular economy.
When retrofitting, regeneration or redevelopment do not satisfy the needs of particular activities (such as in the case of animal husbandry farms).
The Malta Chamber acknowledges that the authorities must be left with a certain degree of manoeuvrability subject to careful consideration of cost-benefit studies and environmental impact assessments that professionally evaluate feasibility and sustainability of using unspoilt land to accommodate such activities.
In taking this approach, it is crucial that the studies take into consideration all influencing aspects including social, economic and environmental factors. If such studies demonstrate that the benefits outweigh the costs, the project should then be considered with strict considerations to life cycle analysis, the impact on surroundings and also reversibility.
At the same time, a wide-ranging process of consultation needs to be undertaken to ensure that due consideration has been given to all possible related matters and that decisions taken will be as robust as possible.
For the sake of good governance, the Malta Chamber also believes that accountability and transparency should remain fundamental necessities when deciding upon resources expected to accommodate major foreign and local investments.
With respect to the SPED, the Malta Chamber welcomes its publication to follow on from active public discussion. It now expects that this policy document is updated and developed on the basis of the principles of the preceding Structure Plan and successfully manages to rectify the various anomalies, loopholes and other shortcomings inherent in the previous document.
The Malta Chamber also augurs that the SPED will draw political consensus to ensure stability and continuity of policies together with a strong and robust direction to sustainable development and the environment. This will serve as a firm message to all stakeholders, including investors and authorities, to uphold transparency, clarity and commitment.
As a responsible organisation, the Malta Chamber has submitted its views on the proposed plan to the relevant authorities and stakeholders in the hope that its views support the formulation of a plan that strikes the necessary balance between socio-economic growth and environmental safeguards through sustainable development.
David Xuereb is chairman of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry’s energy and environment committee.